Crop re-hydration systems for use with a large square baler are known which include a plurality of steam injection manifolds strategically located so that steam is injected into the top and bottom of a windrow of crop being lifted and fed into the baler so that steam comes into contact with the surface of the individual parts of crop being re-hydrated. At least one of these steam injection manifolds is exposed to wind currents which would adversely affect the application of steam to the top of the windrow. Further, it is current practice to construct the manifold so as to have a length sufficient for applying steam to the entire width of the a windrow having a maximum width that can be efficiently picked up by the baler pick-up. Therefore, when the windrow is narrower than this maximum width steam exiting through injection nozzles outside the width of the windrow will be wasted. In an attempt to prevent the distribution of steam from being adversely affected by wind and to make use of steam which exits outside the width of the windrow, it is known to provide a housing of flexible material having a top wall which extends above the steam injector manifold and having a vertical wall which wraps around opposite ends of the crop pick-up and terminates in a bottom edge that is close to the ground.
The known flexible housing performs its intended function of blocking the wind but does not operate to cause the steam, which exits outside the width of a given windrow, to be directed onto the crop contained in the windrow.
Therefore, the problem to be solved is to provide a steam injection manifold that overcomes the above-noted problems of the prior art.